Mass. Senate Wannabe Joe K 3.0 Is a Total Weenie

August 10, 2020

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Joseph P. Kennedy III’s primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey (D-Dad Sneakers) is grounded in nothing but naked ambition.

That, however, has not kept the Kennedy campaign from whining about non-existent attacks from the Markey campaign.

From Danny McDonald’s piece in the Boston Sunday Globe about a pro-Kennedy super PAC ad attacking Markey and the back-and-forth between the campaigns.

[Emily] Kaufman, the Kennedy campaign spokeswoman, said, “None of us have experienced anything like the vitriol, misinformation, and personal attacks launched at Joe and his supporters by Senator Markey’s network over the past several months. It has been horrific. And we think the Senator needs to take responsibility for the tone and tenor of the people supporting him in this race.”

 

Seriously? As the estimable Dan Kennedy (no relation to Joe) tweeted:

 

 

Our conclusion: Joe K 3.0 is a Chapstick snowflake who has run a thoroughly unpersuasive challenge to a sitting senator when there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the two on policy issues.

Your conclusion goes here.

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For Once, Boston Globe at a DisADvantage

January 27, 2014

As the hard reading staff has noted on numerous occasions, it’s normally the Boston Herald that gets shortchanged in the full-page-ad department, especially in terms of advocacy ads.

But not today.

Page 11:

 

Screen Shot 2014-01-27 at 11.47.58 AM

 

The outfit that funded the ad, Alzheimer’s Impact Movement, describes itself as “a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization working in strategic partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association to make Alzheimer’s disease a national priority.”

And Ed Markey? He’s co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease. So good idea to suck up to him, although not sure why the Herald is the place to do it.

Regardless, here’s another thing today’s Herald has that the Globe doesn’t: coverage of Chet Curtis’s wake yesterday.

 

Screen Shot 2014-01-27 at 11.48.41 AM

 

Nice coverage, unfortunate photos.

Finally, the Herald has also cornered the market on Romney Redux reporting, with the normally level-headed Kimberly Atkins speculating that two-time presidential loser Mitt Romney might go for the hat trick.

Oy.

So the feisty local tabloid goes two-for-three today. Better than average, yes?

 

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Ed Markey Is the Emptiest Suit on Capitol Hill

September 6, 2013

From our Late to the (Democratic) Party desk 

Massachusetts amateur – sorry, junior – Sen. Ed Markey’s “present” to the GOP got front-page treatment in both Boston dailies Thursday.

Start with the Boston Globe.

Print edition headline (with one very weird photo):

Members on left, right uniting in wariness

2013-09-03T192245Z_1964575055_GM1E994099301_RTRMADP_3_SYRIA-CRISIS-CONGRESS

WASHINGTON — A Senate committee voted on Wednesday to give President Obama the authority to use military force in Syria, providing momentum to the White House plan to punish President Bashir Assad for allegedly using chemical weapons.

But in twist that signaled the issue still faces an uncertain outcome, Senator Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, voted “present,” choosing not to register his position on the highest-profile issue to come before him since he was sworn in nearly two months ago. He was the only senator to cast a noncommital vote.

 

Crosstown at the Boston Herald, Markey’s “noncommital vote” (and senior Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s squishiness on Syria) got a decidedly rougher reception.

 

Screen Shot 2013-09-06 at 1.10.50 AM

 

Wethinks the Herald got it right on this one.

 

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Gabriel Gomez Hosts Globe, Stiffs Herald

July 15, 2013

Former U.S. Senate hopeful Gabriel Gomez apparently learned at least one thing during his special-election campaign against Ed Markey: The broadsheet is mightier than the tabloid.

From today’s Boston Globe:

gomez900Gabriel Gomez could be up for another run

‘Nothing’s off the table,’ he says of federal or state campaign

COHASSET — Less than three weeks after losing a special US Senate election, Republican Gabriel E. Gomez said he is open to making another run for political office.

“If something does pop up and I’ve got the same passion that I had for this last race, then I would be interested in it,” he said.

In his first postelection interview, Gomez was reflective about his US Senate run, admitted to some missteps in his initial high-profile bid for elective office, but appeared to be at peace with the results.

 

So the Globe gets the at-home sit-down with Gomez while the Boston Herald gets . . . what?

Secondhand slop.

STON3488.JPGGabriel Gomez prime for 2014 run

Election-battered GOP newcomer Gabriel E. Gomez is back, mulling a return to the political scene just weeks after losing his freshman U.S. Senate bid, with Republican sources saying he is eyeing a 2014 statewide race, and a top aide saying he’s open to any office — including the state’s top job.

“Gabriel Gomez has a strong future in Massachusetts should he decide to run, and no office is off the table,” his former campaign manager, Lenny Alcivar, said. While Alcivar added that Gomez is currently “focused on Little League games and spending time with his family,” other Republican sources said the Cohasset businessman is considering a 2014 run.

While most state Republicans said that Gomez likely would stay out of the gubernatorial showdown if Charlie Baker or Scott Brown decide to enter, political analysts agreed a quick Gomez comeback is feasible.

 

The Herald piece also mentions treasurer and attorney general as possible statewide slots for Gomez to seek. The Globe reports that “[l]ast week, US Representative Greg Walden, the Republican charged with keeping his party in control of the US House of Representative, hinted to a Capitol Hill newspaper that Gomez should consider a bid against Democrat William R. Keating, who represents the Ninth District.”

Right now, though, we’re betting the only thing Gomez is seeking is a fence-mending session with a Herald reporter.

 

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Globe Take on Parking Wars Is Spot-On

June 14, 2013

It’s not often that the Boston Globe out-tabloids the Boston Herald, but today’s one of those times thanks to this Page One story:

 

Picture 1

 

The, er, money quote:

[T]he winner, Lisa Blumenthal, who lives in a single-family home with three parking spots on Commonwealth Avenue valued at more than $5.8 million . . .  said the auction was a unique opportunity to get more parking places for guests and workers, although she admitted she didn’t expect the bidding to go so high.

 

Guests and workers? Seriously? That’s got Herald front page written all over it.

Except here’s what the musty local tabloid ran instead:

 

Picture 2

 

C’mon, Heraldniks – you can cuff Ed Markey around anytime. But how often do you get his ‘n’ her parking spaces . . . in the Back Bay . . . at $280,000 a pop . . . for guests and workers?

You’re losing your fastball, guys.

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Hark! The Herald! (U.S. Senate Debate-o-rama)

April 9, 2013

The Boston Herald has officially become a perpetual self-promotion machine. Case in point: The feisty local tabloid 1) co-sponsored a UMass-Lowell debate last night between Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Ed Markey and Stephen Lynch (that’s good); 2) streamed it live on the Web (okay); and 3) devoted six full pages to it in today’s paper (huh???).

Start with the front page:

 

Picture 1

 

Then on page 2 Hillary Chabot provides the basic play-by-play, and a plug for the debate replay .

 

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Flip to pages 4 and 5 for columnists Margery Eagan and Joe Battenfeld, plus a helpful Scorecard, plus another plug for the debate replay.

 

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Then pages 6 and 7 feature reaction from readers, a focus group, UMass-Lowell junior Corey Lanier, and the Herald’s Peter Gelzinis.

 

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Oh, yeah – don’t forget to watch the replay.

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Bay State GOP Has a (Corned) Beef with Bay State Dems

March 14, 2013

From our Late to the (St. Pat’s Day) Party desk

First it was the gays and lesbians who couldn’t march in the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Now it’s the Republican U.S. Senate hopefuls who can’t attend the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.

Wednesday’s Boston Herald Page One:

Picture 3

The Hillary Chabot/Joe Battenfeld piece:

Saint Patrick's Day<br /><br /> * Wearing of the green|<br /><br /> * In Irelan‘No corned beef’ for 
GOP Senate hopefuls

The St. Patrick’s Day schmoozefest in South Boston will be missing something notable this Sunday — not bad jokes or warm beer, but all three Republican U.S. Senate candidates, who say they’ve been snubbed by the annual gathering of political power brokers.

Both Democratic Senate candidates, U.S. Reps. Stephen F. Lynch and Edward J. Markey, were invited and given speaking roles at the roast, which is traditionally a chance for candidates to get noticed by a statewide viewing audience.

“We weren’t invited to the party. No corned beef for Mike Sullivan,” said Lisa Barstow, spokeswoman for the former U.S. attorney, one of the three GOP Senate candidates. “It’s either a silly oversight or poor form. … Mike’s definitely got his Irish credentials.”

That’s a significant break with tradition, as the Herald piece notes. Bill Weld, Scott Brown, even Charlie Baker – all were invited to the hoedown in the past.

That was then. This is now:

Boston City Councilor Bill Linehan, the new host of the event, confirmed to the Herald last night that he didn’t invite any Republicans to speak this year, but said it was because only elected officials such as Lynch and Markey were getting speaking roles.

The Boston Globe-Repeater followed up with . . . nothing.

Score another one for our feisty local tabloid.

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Poll Vault at the Boston Herald

March 7, 2013

Our feisty local tabloid today released a new poll on the U.S. Senate race (which pretty much runs true to form), and gave it that special Herald something.

Start with Page One:

Picture 5

 

Two elements of note: 1) the Cryptkeeper photo of Ed Markey; and 2) the rose-colored subhead.

Inside spread:

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From Joe Battenfeld’s lead piece:

U.S. Rep. Edward Markey is the clear frontrunner to win the special U.S. Senate election, but his support is so soft he’s failing to break the 50 percent mark even against a field of little-known GOP challengers, a new UMass Lowell/Boston Herald poll reveals.

 

Helpful graphic (see full poll here):

Picture 7

 

Meanwhile, crosstown rival Boston Globe has a piggyback piece on the Herald poll with a decidedly more  measured tone.

Markey leads Lynch by wide margin in poll

Representative Edward J. Markey holds a wide lead over his Democratic rival for the Senate, fellow Representative Stephen F. Lynch, and would easily beat all three Republican candidates in a head-to-head matchup, according to a new poll.

Markey leads Lynch by 29.5 percentage points among potential Democratic primary voters, 50 percent to 20.5 percent, with 23 percent undecided about their preference in the April 30 primary, according to the UMass Lowell/Boston Herald poll released Wednesday night.

Markey, of Malden, would also beat the Republicans candidates by double-digit margins, although the poll found that the vast majority of voters do not know who those candidates are, suggesting they have room to grow if they can broaden their profiles.

 

Room to grow. That’s putting it mildly.

Not at all the style at the Herald.

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Thursday Globe Totally Eats Wednesday Herald’s Dust

March 1, 2013

The hardreading staff likes to characterize the feisty local tabloid as a lively index to the Boston Globe.

But in this case, the Boston Herald was a lively index to the next day’s Boston Globe.

Exhibit A

Wednesday’s Herald Page One:

picture-119

 

Thursday’s Boston Globe:

greenhouse_donnie3_metroEmerson frat backs a brother in transition

On Monday morning, few outside his circle of family, friends, teachers, and classmates likely had heard of Donnie Collins. By Wednesday, he was internationally famous.

Collins, a sophomore at Emerson, seems in many ways a typical college student. He loves J.R.R. Tolkien and “The Colbert Report.” He obsessively updates his Tumblr blog.

But it is his differences that have caused his story to go viral: Born female, Collins is transitioning into a man, and members of his campus fraternity are giving new meaning to the word brotherhood through an extraordinary act of support.

“I’m really grateful for that,” he said in an interview Wednesday near the downtown campus. “It’s taken me a while to realize that I can’t possibly repay them in any way except to accept their help.”

 

Exhibit B

Wednesday Herald Joe Battenfeld column:

DSC_1359.JPGEd Markey is no stranger 
to flip-flopping on issues

Democratic Senate candidate Ed Markey, whose supporters have slammed rival Stephen Lynch for changing his position on abortion, has performed a few impressive flip-flops of his own — on issues ranging from abortion to school prayer.

The Malden congressman, who has the strong backing of abortion rights advocates, supported a constitutional amendment banning abortion and repeatedly voted in the U.S. House for a ban on all federal funding of abortions, including in cases of rape and incest, in the late 1970s, records show.

Markey, a Catholic, changed his position in late 1983, just before he made an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate. He said at the time he didn’t want to impose his personal beliefs on others.

 

Thursday’s Boston Globe:

tlumacki_ed markey_metro861Markey says abortion shift was personal

Since US Representative Stephen F. Lynch of South Boston backed off his staunch opposition to abortion early this month, his rival for US Senate has been trying to distinguish himself as the only Democrat in the race who is “100 percent pro-choice.”

US Representative Edward J. Markey of Malden has made the case so well, in fact, that the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America plans to formally endorse him on Thursday.

But three decades ago, Markey was also an abortion opponent who had a conversion before embarking on a campaign for higher office. His evolution began as a congressman, months before he ran for the same Senate seat he’s seeking now.

Like Lynch’s shift, Markey’s change engendered some suspicion. The National Organization for Women issued flyers highlighting Markey’s past votes against abortion rights, and antiabortion advocates were annoyed that Markey had abandoned them.

In an interview on Wednesday, Markey said his shift on abortion was never a political calculation.

 

Uh-huh.

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Boston Herald’s Outside Track: Holly & Scott Tear the Sheets

February 4, 2013

Our feisty local tabloid’s Lone Republican needs a plus one.

Herald columnist Holly Robichaud goes through a very public breakup with former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Pickup and Go) today, right on Page One:

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And Holly doesn’t mince words in her column:

scottbrowncutoutOur honeymoon with Scott Brown just ended

I hate to speak ill of fellow Republicans, but there is no good way to spin that the GOP has been left in the lurch by former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown’s backing out of the special election. With less than 23 days to get 10,000 certified signatures for the ballot, the timing of his decision is like leaving a bride at the altar.

Republicans already face a well-known uphill battle because of voter registration, finance and organizational deficits along with a media bias. Declining to run would have been perfectly acceptable for Brown 60 or even 30 days ago, but by waiting until now he puts our candidate at a huge disadvantage.

What about all the people who stood out in the cold and rain, made thousands of calls and gave up their weekends to knock on thousands of doors? What about the party that has given millions of dollars? What about U.S. Sen. John McCain, who helped orchestrate Anchors-Aweigh John Kerry’s appointment as secretary of state?

 

Well, at least they’re rid of Kerry.

But don’t put Robichaud next to Michael Graham at your next dinner party – not after he wrote this on today’s op-ed page:

BrownSketch 12Brown’s bowing out clears path to future

Get back to Republican roots

Finally! Some good news for the Massachusetts GOP: Scott Brown isnot running for the U.S. Senate.

Why is that good?

It’s not because I don’t like Scott Brown. He’s a great guy and did a good job truly representing Massachusetts — as opposed to Ed Markey, who will do nothing more than represent the indigenous moonbat population.

But another Scott Brown run would have been a mistake, for him and for the party.

 

Graham goes on to list all the reasons it would have been a mistake, which you can check out if you care.

Just don’t tell Holly.

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